


while you were sleeping

by sapphicplatypus



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Set in the 90s, While You Were Sleeping AU, gay nonsense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28308765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicplatypus/pseuds/sapphicplatypus
Summary: Maggie’s not quite sure about the ethical implications of falling for the extremely hot sister of the person you saved from getting hit by a train, especially while that person is in a coma, but something about it feels wrong.(the Sanvers While You Were Sleeping AU that nobody asked for)
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer
Comments: 34
Kudos: 92
Collections: Secret Sanvers | A Sanvers Winter Holiday 2020 Event





	while you were sleeping

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xLittleScorpion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xLittleScorpion/gifts).



> For Agustina, wishing you a very merry Christmas!
> 
> This is an AU based on the absolutely iconic and ridiculous rom com While You Were Sleeping (1995). The fic is set in the mid-90s in Chicago like the movie, and the plot is basically the same but a lot gayer and without the fake fiancee aspect (there is just no way to make that work with Maggie and Kara lmao).
> 
> Also if you haven't seen the movie please at least google Sandra Bullock's outfits so you can picture Maggie wearing giant comfy sweaters like hers.

The frigid winter air whistles through the nearly deserted train station, and Maggie can feel the chill from the lakefront seeping into her skin even through all of her layers.

She heaves out a sigh, watching as her breath briefly fogs up the glass in front of her, before rubbing her gloved hands together and pulling her jacket even tighter around her body in a futile attempt to shield herself from the cold.

She really doesn’t want to be here, freezing her ass off at her shitty job on Christmas Day. Everyone who has somewhere to go for the holidays has probably already left by now anyway, so it’s not like she has much to do at the ticket booth. She stares out at the empty platform, willing the next few hours of her shift to pass quickly so she can go home and curl up on her couch with some hot chocolate and Chinese takeout. Maybe watch a Christmas movie or two - she can already picture herself reaching for her well-worn VHS of Home Alone.

Maggie had begrudgingly agreed to work on Christmas because she’s the only token collector (and possibly the only CTA employee in general) who doesn’t have a family to spend the day with. She’d grown up in rural Nebraska with strict, conservative, bible thumping parents who had kicked her out of the house as soon as they realized their daughter was a lesbian.

She had lived with her aunt for the remainder of her high school years, but as soon as she graduated, Maggie had left and never looked back.

She’d made her way to Chicago with nothing but her meager savings from her summer job and big dreams of city living. Now, she’s approaching thirty, perpetually single, living in a shitty apartment and working this shitty job—a far cry from the sparkling future full of adventure and possibility she’d once envisioned for herself.

Maggie sighs again. She’s never regretted leaving her family behind, but the holidays always leave her feeling a little empty.

She’s watching the light flurries of snow floating down onto the dirty pavement when a flash of blonde hair catches her eye. The corners of her mouth quirk upwards in a smile as she glances up to confirm. Her favorite patron is here.

“Merry Christmas, Maggie!” the blonde woman exclaims as she slides her tokens into the metal tray.

“Merry Christmas, Kara.”

Kara smiles broadly and waves before making her way to the platform to wait for the next train.

Maggie shakes her head fondly, still smiling softly as she scoops the tokens out of the tray. She sees Kara almost every day, and she always greets Maggie with that same cheerful smile. Most of Maggie’s regulars can’t be bothered to speak to her or even make eye contact, but Kara has always been kind to her. She’s definitely the only patron who knows Maggie’s name, despite the fact that it’s printed on the name tag clipped to her vest.

She wonders, as she often has, what Kara’s job could be. She’s always impeccably dressed, all tailored trousers and nice blouses, and she always seems to be in a hurry, scrambling onto the 8:15 train every morning. It must be demanding, time-consuming, whatever her work is, if she hasn’t been able to leave for the holidays until now.

Maggie’s attention snaps back into focus at the sound of Kara’s voice shouting, “Hey! Give that back!”

Her eyes land on Kara near the edge of the platform, struggling with a large man as he grabs at her purse. Another man tugs at her coat, tauntingly flicking up the end of her bright red scarf. Kara, determined as usual, yanks on the strap of her bag as hard as she can. 

Maggie watches in slow motion as the force of the action sends Kara tumbling backwards onto the tracks below.

“Shit. Shit! Kara!”

Maggie scrambles out of the booth, racing down the platform. She crouches down next to where Kara’s purse lays abandoned on the ground, her would-be muggers having dropped it in their haste to flee the scene.

“Kara!” she calls frantically, peering over the edge. 

Kara’s eyes are closed, her arms and legs splayed out across the tracks as she lies unconscious.

“Help! Somebody help!” Maggie yells. She looks around wildly, her eyes scanning frantically for somebody, anybody, but the station is just as empty as it’s been all morning.

Carefully, she lowers herself down off the platform and hurries to Kara’s side. “Kara?” she tries again. “Can you hear me?”

There’s no response. Maggie can feel the panic rising in her throat as she grabs hold of Kara’s shoulders, shaking her hard and pleading desperately for her to wake up. She leans in closer, fearing the worst, and a fleeting burst of relief surges through her at the slight rise and fall of Kara’s chest, the tiny puffs of her breath dissipating into the cold air. She might be unconscious, and likely badly hurt, but she’s alive.

A low rumbling noise makes Maggie’s head snap up, and her heart drops when she sees a train approaching in the distance.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Maggie hears her own shrill voice repeating over and over. “Kara!” she nearly screams, her voice raw and shaking with panic. “Please wake up. Please.”

The train is thundering across the tracks, barreling toward them, and Maggie has to do something, now, or they’ll both end up dead.

“Shit, shit, shit. Fuck. Shit.”

With a deep breath, Maggie grabs Kara by the arms, squeezing her eyes shut and using all the force she can muster to roll them both out of the way. She lands on top of her with a grunt, her entire body trembling as the train speeds past them, a hair’s breadth away from flattening them into the tracks. 

Maggie’s pulse is thundering in her ears and she pushes herself up to sit, letting out a shaky breath as she looks down at Kara’s unconscious form.

“Merry fucking Christmas.”

——

As soon as Maggie’s racing pulse begins to settle, she dials 911 with unsteady hands. When the paramedics arrive, they lift Kara onto a stretcher, and Maggie feels as though she’s watching from outside her body as she’s ushered into the ambulance alongside her. The paramedics ask her questions and she does her best to answer, but she can’t tear her eyes away from Kara’s face, pale and lifeless against the cheerful red of her scarf.

Maggie doesn’t know how much time passes before they finally come to a stop. The ambulance crew springs into action, and Maggie follows numbly as they wheel the gurney into the hospital, bursting through the emergency room doors and hustling down a long, white hallway. She can hear them talking as they move, briskly relaying information to the doctor and nurse, but she barely processes any of what they’re saying.

All she can think about is Kara. She barely knows her—they’re acquaintances at best, but Kara’s smiling face has been one of the only highlights of Maggie’s dreary days for a long time now and she needs to make sure she’ll be okay.

They get Kara into a room, a flurry of people in white coats and scrubs moving all around her and hooking her up to various machines, all beeping and flashing cacophonously. Maggie can only stand helplessly and watch as she waits for them to finish. When everyone eventually files out of the room, Maggie pulls up a chair and settles next to Kara’s bed, reaching out and grasping her limp hand, squeezing tightly.

“It’s going to be okay,” she whispers, and she’s honestly not sure if she’s talking to Kara or to herself. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

——

Maggie’s not sure how much time passes as she sits quietly at Kara’s bedside, watching her breathe and listening to the steady beeping of the machines. She doesn’t realize she’s falling asleep until a sudden commotion in the hall startles her upright, her eyes blinking open against the fluorescent lights.

She can hear people talking, several voices overlapping and growing louder and louder until a small group comes bursting through the door. There’s a doctor and a nurse, and Maggie figures the rest must be Kara’s family. No one seems to notice her, so she stands quietly and slips into the back corner of the room, out of the way. She stays quiet, watching as they all try to ask their questions at once, clamoring to be heard over one another as the doctor tries to keep up.

She hears the doctor saying things like “head trauma” and “brain waves” and then finally—

“She’s in a coma.”

“Oh my god.”

“A coma?”

“How did this happen?” demands an older woman who Maggie assumes to be Kara’s mother.

“She was pushed from the platform at the train station,” Maggie finally speaks up.

Silence descends as all eyes in the room focus on her.

“I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Oh, I, um…”

“She saved her life.” Maggie recognizes the nurse from earlier, and everyone’s heads move in unison as they turn to look at her and then back to Maggie.

“Is that true? You saved her?” Kara’s mother asks, her voice much softer than it had been seconds ago.

“I, um, I guess I—I mean, anyone would have…”

“I thought Kara was pushed off the platform,” says a younger man standing behind Kara’s mother. A brother, maybe, Maggie thinks.

“She jumped on the tracks to save her,” the nurse says, and everyone’s staring at her again.

The young man’s mouth gapes open. “You jumped on the tracks?”

Maggie palms at the back of her neck, smiling sheepishly. “Uh, yeah. I...I work at the Randolph/Wabash station. Kara was...she was waiting for her train and these guys came out of nowhere and they were trying to mug her. And I saw her…” She winces as the memory flashes through her mind, Kara’s red scarf flapping helplessly as she falls backwards off the platform. “I saw her fall onto the tracks. And there was no one around, and I just… I had to do something. So I did.” 

Maggie shrugs, uncomfortable with the attention. She shoves her hands into her pockets to keep from fidgeting.

“You saved her,” Kara’s mother whispers in awe, her eyes misty with tears. “Oh, thank you, thank you.” 

She rushes forward and sweeps Maggie into a hug, and Maggie startles before relaxing into the woman’s embrace, allowing herself to be held. She can’t remember the last time she was hugged like this.

“I’m Eliza,” the woman says when she pulls back. “Eliza Danvers.”

“Maggie Sawyer.”

“It is so wonderful to meet you, Maggie,” Eliza says, grasping Maggie’s arm. “I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

Maggie can feel herself blushing, and she glances down at her boots.

“This is my husband, Jeremiah, Kara’s father. And our friend, Jon. And these are Kara’s friends, Winn and James.” Eliza gestures at each person as she introduces them, and Maggie smiles politely at each of them. “My other daughter is on her way from the airport—she just flew in from California—but I’m not sure when she’ll get here.”

Maggie nods along as Eliza speaks, and she’s relieved when the doctor finally starts talking again and everyone turns their attention away from her. She listens along with Kara’s family as the doctor explains her condition, and everyone relaxes considerably when he says he’s optimistic that she’ll make a full recovery. After he leaves the room, the chattering starts up again, quieter this time as the family talks amongst themselves, and Maggie starts to make her way toward the doorway.

“I’m going to head out,” she says as she slips one arm into her jacket. “I don’t want to intrude any more than I already have. It was lovely meeting you all.”

“Maggie, wait.” Eliza stops her before she can make it out the door. “Since we’re not able to go through with our Christmas plans today, we’ll be postponing our celebration until the weekend. We would all love for you to join us.”

“Oh! Um…” Maggie looks around at everyone’s faces and she’s met with warm, encouraging smiles.

“Alex will be there too, and I’m sure she’d love to meet the person who saved her sister’s life. They’re very close, our girls.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose—”

“You wouldn’t be, not in the least.”

“Yeah, James and I have been imposing on the Danvers’ Christmases for years,” Winn chimes in with a grin.

“We want to thank you,” Eliza says, looking at her imploringly. “I’ll make my famous mashed potatoes, do you like mashed potatoes?”

Maggie can’t help but smile. “I can’t wait to try them.”

——

A few days later, Maggie’s trudging through the snow and up the steps to the Danvers’ house. It’s a little strange, the idea of celebrating Christmas with people she’s just met, and she doesn’t know what to expect, but she tries her best to push down her nerves.

She rings the doorbell, and a few seconds later Eliza is pulling the door open and greeting her with a warm smile. “Maggie! I’m so glad you could make it.”

She looks genuinely happy to see her, and Maggie’s heart melts a little. “Thank you for having me.”

Eliza ushers her inside before disappearing into the kitchen, leaving Maggie to remove her snow-covered boots and hang up her coat. Looking down at her socked feet, Maggie slowly makes her way down the hallway, feeling the nervous anticipation building back up with every step. 

Maybe coming here was a mistake. She literally just met these people a few days ago, what right does she have to intrude on their family dinner? And what if she can’t think of anything to say to them, and she has to suffer in uncomfortable silence until she can make her escape? What if—

Maggie gasps as she collides with someone, stumbling and slipping in her socks as she tries to right herself.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I—”

Maggie stops as she takes in the woman in front of her. She’s absolutely gorgeous, with dark auburn hair and honey brown eyes, and she’s wearing a soft sweater in a deep emerald green. For a moment, Maggie forgets how to speak, and she just stands there gaping like an idiot in the middle of the hallway.

“I’m sorry,” the woman says, and her voice is warm and rich and Maggie wants to hear more of it. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.” She glances down, and Maggie notices the cordless telephone in her hand. “I’m Alex,” she says, reaching out with her other hand. “And you must be Maggie, right?”

“I—yeah. Yeah,” Maggie says, trying to ignore the way her skin tingles when she meets Alex’s hand. “You’re Kara’s sister?”

“Yeah.” Alex smiles, but there’s a sadness in her eyes. “I was just about to call the hospital again to check on her. I think she’s sick of me calling so often.” She huffs out a short laugh before her expression softens. “They told me what you did. How you saved her. Thank you, so much, I, I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am. How grateful we all are. I just...is it okay if I hug you?”

Maggie blinks. “I...yeah, of course.”

And then Alex is wrapping her arms around her, and Maggie’s palms are pressed flat against her back, feeling the softness of her sweater under her fingertips. Alex squeezes her tightly, and Maggie closes her eyes as she squeezes back, inhaling the light, citrusy scent of her shampoo.

“Here, come on,” Alex says when they pull apart, and Maggie follows her further into the house, the muffled sounds of Christmas music growing louder as they make their way to the living room.

When Alex leads her through the doorway, Maggie’s breath catches at the sight before her. A Christmas tree, tall and lush, stands proudly in the corner of the room, adorned with shiny ornaments and twinkling lights, a glittering silver star perched at the top. Stockings hang above the fireplace, and there are garlands and red ribbons and poinsettias all around. It’s beautiful.

“Yeah, Dad went a little overboard on the decorations this year,” Alex chuckles, and Maggie blushes at being caught staring around the room with her mouth open.

“I love it,” she says quietly.

There’s a boombox in the opposite corner, the source of the Christmas music floating through the house. The two younger men Maggie had met at the hospital are standing in front of it, and Maggie hears the taller one say, “Winn, for the last time, you cannot play the Italian Christmas donkey song.”

“Oh god, not this again,” Alex groans, and both boys turn to look at her.

“Come on, just one—oh, hey! Maggie! You made it!” 

“Hey, Maggie, good to see you again!”

“Hey guys, good to see you too.”

Winn and James cross the room to join them, and the four of them strike up an easy conversation until Eliza calls, “Time for dinner!”

Alex leans down and whispers, “Come on, you can sit next to me,” and Maggie has to bite down on her lip to keep from grinning too widely. Maybe this night won’t be so bad after all.

——

Dinner goes much better than she’d expected.

Eliza’s mashed potatoes are as delicious as she’d promised, and she keeps urging more food onto Maggie’s plate, and Alex groans “Mom” in an increasingly exasperated tone every time but Maggie just smiles. It’s been a long time since she’s had a home cooked meal, and even longer since she’s had someone to push food onto her in that way only a mother can.

When they’re finished eating, Jeremiah asks, “So, Maggie, did you get to see your family for Christmas? I hope being a hero didn’t cause too much of a dent in your holiday plans.” 

She musters a weak laugh and an even weaker smile. “Um, no, I...I don’t really have any family.”

She braces herself for the pitying looks, for the little sympathetic sounds people make when they find out she hasn’t seen her family in more than a decade. Instead, she feels Winn’s hand clapping against her shoulder and turns to see him grinning broadly at her.

“You came to the right place,” he says. Before she can ask, he continues, “James and I don’t have any family either. The Danvers kind of took us in.”

“And now they can’t get rid of us,” James chimes in from across the table, an easy smile on his face.

“We love having you boys, you know that,” Eliza says. “And Maggie, sweetie, you will always be welcome here, okay?”

Maggie’s heart swells in her chest and she finds herself holding back tears at the kind words. Everyone has been so warm and welcoming, and she can’t remember the last time she’d had any semblance of a family. Logically, she knows these people are virtual strangers, and the only reason she’s here is because she prevented Kara from getting crushed by the L, but this is still the best Christmas she’s had in years.

“She’s just trying to get you to commit to coming back for family game night on New Year’s Eve,” Alex jokes, and Maggie lets out a breathless laugh.

“I’d love to.”

“Oh, good, good!” Eliza exclaims, clasping her hands in front of her chest.

Maggie feels Alex’s hand on her arm and turns to find her face pulled taut in a serious expression. “Are you any good at charades?” she asks, like she’s asking if Maggie has ever killed a man.

“I...I think so, yeah,” she stutters, and a grin bursts across Alex’s face.

“Maggie’s on my team for charades at game night!” she announces, and it’s embarrassing how quickly pride surges up in Maggie’s chest. 

“Okay, okay, who wants pie?” Jeremiah calls, and chaos descends once more as everyone clamors excitedly.

Maggie just sits back in her seat, grinning ear to ear as she takes it all in. She hadn’t realized just how much she’s missed all this. It’s only been a few days, but the Danvers family has already started filling up a hole in her heart that’s been empty for so long she’d barely even noticed it anymore.

——

At the end of the night, when all the pie has been eaten and the gifts have been opened—including one for Maggie that Eliza had thrust into her hands even as she tried to protest that it was too much—Maggie finds herself reluctant to say goodbye. The Danvers family has been so kind to her, and she doesn’t want to leave them yet.

But she’s exchanged contact information with Eliza, and they’ve already invited her back for New Year’s Eve, so her disappointment is quelled slightly.

She timidly asks Eliza if she can use their phone to call a cab, to which Eliza exclaims, “A cab? At this hour? By yourself? Oh no, honey.” She reaches for a set of keys hanging on a hook near the door. “Alex will drive you home. Alex!”

Alex pops her head around the corner. “Yeah?”

“Can you drive Maggie home? I don’t want her taking a cab this late. You can take your father’s car.”

Maggie shakes her head. “Really, it’s okay, I don’t—”

“It’s no problem,” Alex tells her with a small, soft smile as she moves forward to take the keys from Eliza. “I’d be happy to.”

“You sure?”

“Of course. Come on.”

They say their goodbyes before heading out into the snow, the freezing night air whipping against Maggie’s face as she follows Alex to the car. Alex opens the passenger door for her, and Maggie knows she would be blushing if her cheeks weren’t already pink from the cold. 

Alex slides into the driver’s seat and turns the key in the ignition, the engine rumbling to life. The radio crackles on and Maggie immediately recognizes the number of the local alternative rock station.

“Sorry,” Alex murmurs, reaching for the button, but Maggie stops her.

“No, it’s okay,” she tells her. “You can leave it if you want. I like this song.”

Alex turns to face her, eyebrows raised. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Maggie grins. “So, were you the last one to drive this car or is your dad secretly an Alanis Morissette fan?”

Alex snorts. “Oh, yeah, he’s got all her CDs,” she jokes, and they both giggle at the thought.

Alex turns the volume up a little higher before maneuvering out of her parking spot and onto the street.

They listen in comfortable silence for a while, with Maggie interjecting every so often to give directions. When they finally pull up in front of her building, Alex turns to look at her again. “Thank you for coming tonight. It was really nice, having you there. I’m...I’m glad I got to meet you.”

Maggie smiles, and this time she can’t blame the rosy tint staining her cheeks on the cold. “I’m glad I got to meet you too.”

It’s quiet for a moment, and Maggie’s about to reach for the door handle when Alex says, “Hey, listen, I was planning on going to the hospital tomorrow, to visit Kara and to donate some blood—I guess it’s customary for friends and family. Would you, uh, would you want to come too?”

“Oh! I—”

“You don’t have to donate blood if you don’t want to,” Alex rushes to add. “I just...if you wanted to see Kara, you know…” She frowns a little as she trails off, her nose scrunching up in the most endearing way.

“I’d love to,” Maggie assures her.

Alex smiles, her shoulders relaxing and her fingers loosening their grip on the steering wheel. “Okay, great. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“See you tomorrow,” Maggie confirms before pushing the car door open and stepping back out into the cold.

——

The next day, Maggie gets on the bus a full thirty minutes earlier than she needs to, eager to get to the hospital and see Alex again. And Kara, obviously. Mostly Kara. She’s going there to see Kara. Alex will just happen to be there too.

(The fact that Maggie’s wearing mascara and her second favorite pair of jeans is merely a coincidence as well.)

The bus lets her off at the corner, the doors hissing as they shut behind her, and Maggie hurries down the sidewalk and into the hospital’s main entrance. She takes the elevator up to the fourth floor, fiddling with the hem of her sweater and smoothing her hands over her hair as she eyes herself in the reflective surface of the elevator doors.

When she gets to Kara’s room, she finds Alex already sitting at her sister’s bedside, clasping one of her hands with both of her own and murmuring softly to her. Maggie knocks gently on the doorframe and Alex’s head pops up quickly at the sound.

“Maggie, hey,” she greets her, a warm smile lighting up her face.

“Hey,” Maggie replies softly, lifting her hand in a timid wave. 

“Come on in,” Alex says, scooping her coat and scarf off the chair next to her so Maggie can sit.

Once Maggie’s settled in her seat, she turns to face her. “How’s she doing?” she asks, glancing over at Kara.

“The same, I think.” Alex sighs, slumping a little against the stiff back of the chair. “Which, I mean, it’s better than if she were getting worse, obviously, but…” She trails off, her eyes trained on her sister’s face.

Maggie hesitates for a moment before laying a gentle hand on Alex’s forearm. “She’ll be okay. She’ll pull through.”

“I hope so,” Alex whispers.

Maggie gives her arm a reassuring squeeze before reluctantly withdrawing her hand. “Hey, what were you talking to her about when I got here?”

“Oh.” Alex looks embarrassed, and it’s adorable. “I was telling her about the Christmas party. It’s stupid, probably, but I wanted to, you know, fill her in on what she’s been missing.”

Maggie smiles. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Alex glances over at her. “I told her about you, too.”

“Oh, yeah, good call, I’m sure it’ll be hard to explain why the ticket booth girl from her red line stop is in all the family Christmas photos this year.” Maggie grins, and Alex rolls her eyes.

“I was telling her all about your heroic deed that saved her life, and how Mom’s idea of a thank you was forcing you to spend time with our insane family.”

“Hey, I like your insane family!”

“Good, because I think my mom already loves you more than me. And I need you on my charades team for New Year’s, so there’s really no escape now.”

Maggie snorts, and Alex smiles proudly.

“By the time Kara wakes up, Mom will probably have a framed picture of you on the mantle.”

That pulls another snort of laughter from Maggie, and she holds her hand over her mouth in a futile attempt to contain it. “Trust me, she wouldn’t want that,” she laughs. “I’m not that photogenic.”

“I doubt that,” Alex says quietly, and Maggie’s heart pounds hard and fast against her ribcage.

She shifts in her seat and clears her throat. “So, um, did you tell Kara about Winn and the donkey song yet?”

“God, that song makes me wish I was the one in a coma.”

“Alex!” Maggie admonishes, but it doesn’t hold much weight as a giggle escapes her lips almost immediately after. In truth, she’s just glad to see Alex smiling.

They keep up their lighthearted conversation, volleying back and forth as they relay the events of last night to a peacefully sleeping Kara. After a while, they head down to the lab, where Maggie insists on donating blood with Alex.

When she nearly passes out trying to stand up afterwards, she realizes it might not have been her best idea.

“Whoa, you okay?” Alex asks, reaching out to steady her.

The feeling of Alex’s hand, strong and warm, pressed against the small of her back makes Maggie even dizzier. “Yeah, I’m—I’m fine.”

The nurse hands her a small plastic bottle of apple juice, and Alex sits beside her as she sips it, watching her carefully. “Better?” she asks when Maggie’s finished, and Maggie grins up at her.

“Much better.”

They make their way back up to the hospital entrance, pausing in the foyer to bundle themselves back into their coats. Maggie wraps her scarf around her neck while Alex pulls a wool knit hat onto her head, the ends of her short hair just peeking through.

“Every time I come home to this god awful weather I remember why I moved to California,” Alex grumbles as she pulls on her gloves.

“I’ve always wanted to go there,” Maggie says wistfully, watching through the glass as fresh snow flutters down to join the ever growing piles of brown-grey slush that line the sidewalk. “At this point I’ve kind of given up all hope of getting out of the Midwest for good,” she adds, mostly to herself. With a sigh, she tugs on her mittens and pulls up the hood of her coat. “Well, it doesn’t look like the snow’s slowing down any time soon so I’d better get home.”

She turns back to Alex, who’s smiling softly down at her. “I’ll see you in a couple days for New Year’s.”

Maggie smiles back, warmth blooming in her chest despite the bitter cold seeping in from outside. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

——

Maggie’s not quite sure about the ethical implications of falling for the extremely hot sister of the person you saved from getting hit by a train, especially while that person is in a coma, but something about it feels wrong. Not to mention the fact that she doesn’t even know if Alex is interested in women, let alone if she’d be interested in Maggie.

(Or the fact that she lives halfway across the country and Maggie’s barely known her a week.)

But she just can’t help it. There’s something about Alex that just draws her in, and she can’t get enough. She’s so smart and funny and clever and Maggie’s heart does a full gymnastics routine inside her chest every time she smiles at her.

Maggie’s used to closing herself off, not letting anybody in. It’s always been that way, ever since her parents kicked her out—nobody can hurt her if she never lets them get close enough to try. But with Alex, there’s a sense of comfort she can’t explain, an ease she’s never had with anyone before. She knows it doesn’t make sense, knows they barely know each other, yet at the same time she feels like she’s known Alex all her life.

She wonders if Alex feels the same way about her.

——

On New Year’s Eve, Maggie knocks on the Danvers’ front door with a bottle of champagne tucked under her arm. She marvels at how calm and comfortable she feels, a far cry from how nervous she’d been last weekend. Over the past week, this strange little family has found its way into her heart, and Maggie’s perfectly happy to let them make themselves at home there.

The door swings open and this time it’s Alex on the other side, and the sight of her steals the breath right out of Maggie’s lungs. Her hair is different tonight, the front pieces pinned back in a way that highlights her strong jawline and high cheekbones, and Maggie doesn’t think it’s legal for one person to be this beautiful. 

And then she smiles, wide and beaming, and she looks so happy to see Maggie and somehow she’s even more beautiful and Maggie momentarily forgets how to breathe. She’s got it so bad for this girl, it’s embarrassing.

Then Alex is saying words and ushering her inside and Maggie can only nod and follow along behind her, a stupid smile plastered across her face the whole time. She shrugs off her coat, and Alex takes it from her and hangs it up while Maggie bends down to unlace her boots. When Maggie pushes herself back up to stand, Alex shoots her a mischievous grin.

“Ready to kick some ass?”

“Absolutely.”

They head into the living room, and soon enough game night is in full swing.

Maggie realizes very quickly that Alex Danvers might be the most competitive person she’s ever met. She approaches every game with laser-sharp focus, an adorable little crease appearing between her eyebrows as she strategizes the best way to win. Maggie’s got a competitive streak of her own, and playing against Alex teases it out of her more and more as the night goes on.

When it’s finally time for charades, the two of them together make a lethal combination. Their minds seem to function on the same wavelength as they easily guess each other’s clues, breezing through every round. When they’re declared the winning team (to no one’s surprise and to Winn’s very outspoken devastation) Alex sweeps Maggie into a celebratory hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. Maggie can’t keep the smile off her face for the rest of the night.

Right before the countdown, James cracks a joke about how none of them has someone to kiss tonight, and Maggie burns with the knowledge that the only person she wants to kiss is standing right across the room. And at midnight, while everyone is cheering and toasting to the new year, Alex looks right at her, eyes sparkling over the rim of her champagne glass, and for a moment Maggie dares to hope that she wants it too.

——

At the end of the night, when everyone has sobered up enough to drive home, Alex turns to Maggie and says, “I’ll give you a ride home again?”

Normally Maggie would at least try to decline the offer out of a sense of obligation to her deeply ingrained Midwestern manners, but she agrees without hesitation, nodding eagerly. “That would be great, thank you.”

On the drive home, Maggie gazes out the window, watching the street lights reflecting off the snow. There’s no music playing this time, and a somber mood settles over them as the excitement of the party fades into the rearview.

“So, um, have you always lived in Chicago?” Alex asks after a little while, her quiet voice breaking the silence.

“No, I, uh, I grew up in Nebraska.”

“Oh, yikes.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I...can I ask what happened to your family?” Alex sounds hesitant, like she wants to snatch the question out of the air as soon as she asks it.

Maggie just sighs, her eyes still tracking the way the light shimmers on the surface of the snow outside. “They, um...they kicked me out,” she admits quietly. “When I was fourteen.”

“Oh, Maggie, I’m so sorry.” Alex’s voice is so soft and caring, and Maggie can picture the way her eyebrows are pulling together in concern. “I, I shouldn’t have…”

“No, it’s okay,” she tells her, finally turning to look at her. “I know it’s probably...stupid, or whatever, but I feel like...like I can talk to you. I...I trust you.”

Alex glances over at her, and the look in her eyes is almost relieved. “I feel the same way.”

Something inside Maggie relaxes, like a tight fist unclenching its grip, and she hopes Alex can’t hear the way her breath trembles as she exhales.

“Sometimes I think maybe...maybe we were supposed to meet each other, you know?” Alex says, her eyes trained firmly on the road in front of her. “Like, you were the one that saved Kara for a reason.” Maggie’s quiet for a moment, and Alex groans softly. “That’s probably so stupid, right? Please ignore that.”

“Hey, no, I...I feel the same way,” she echoes, and Alex’s lips twitch in the faintest smile.

When they roll up in front of Maggie’s building, Alex puts the car in park and they both sit in silence, neither of them ready to part ways just yet. Maggie takes in a deep breath and reaches up with trembling hands to push her hair back behind her ears.

“Alex, I...I should tell you.” She takes another breath. “The reason my parents kicked me out was because I’m...I’m gay.” The confession reverberates around the silent car, ringing in Maggie’s ears. She pushes forward. “I understand if you don’t want to be friends with me anymore, if you’re not comfortable, but I just wanted to tell you the truth.”

She braves a glance at Alex’s face, and she’s taken aback by the melancholy expression she finds there. “Oh, Maggie,” she says for the second time tonight, reaching her hand out across the center console like she wants to touch her. “I am so sorry they did that to you. And I’m sorry that anyone ever made you feel like you have to be ashamed of who you are.”

Maggie feels tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. “I don’t...you’re not…”

Alex doesn’t seem bothered by the fact that she can’t form a sentence. She just smiles gently and nods her head like she understands exactly how Maggie’s feeling. “When I first came out to my parents, I was terrified. But they’ve been so great, and I’m so lucky to have them, and you deserve that kind of support too.”

Maggie blinks. “I...you...what?”

Alex’s smile widens. “Yeah,” is all she says, her eyes glimmering in the near dark.

“Well, shit,” Maggie remarks, and they glance at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter. Maggie can feel the tension leaking out of her, a buoyant lightness filling her chest as she laughs until her abdomen starts to hurt.

“Come on, I’ll walk you to your door,” Alex says, sliding out of her seat before Maggie can even think about protesting.

The frosty night air caresses Maggie’s flushed cheeks as she steps out onto the sidewalk, and something about the cold centers her, calms her racing thoughts. Alex comes to stand beside her and they walk side-by-side through the courtyard, so close that their gloved hands almost brush against one another with every stride.

“Careful, it’s icy,” Alex says, and as if on cue, Maggie slips just slightly, wobbling a little as her boots slide against the slick ground.

Alex’s hand comes up behind her, hovering just over the small of her back, ready to support her if she slips again. “It’s, um, it’s slippery,” Maggie tells her, rather stupidly.

“Yeah, I—oh!”

It’s Alex who slips this time, and she reaches out instinctively to grab onto Maggie, knocking her off balance in the process. Alex’s hands tighten around Maggie’s waist, and Maggie clings to Alex’s jacket as they both struggle to gain purchase on the icy pavement. Every time one of them tries to move, the action threatens to tip them both over, and soon they’re out of breath from laughing at how ridiculous they must look.

“Okay, okay,” Alex manages through another fit of giggles. “Come on, I got you.”

Slowly, Maggie rises to a standing position, gripping tightly at Alex’s arms. Just when she feels like she’s finally found her balance, she’s slipping again, hurtling toward the ground, and Alex catches her under her arms, both of them positively cackling as she tries to haul her back to her feet.

“Okay—”

“Shit—”

“Careful—”

Eventually, they both manage to stand upright, both clinging tightly to each other in the middle of the courtyard.

“You okay?” Alex murmurs, eyes sparkling, and they’re standing so close Maggie can count every freckle on her pink cheeks.

“Yeah,” Maggie breathes, gazing up at her in awe. She wants to kiss her so badly, all she has to do is lean in just a little and—

Alex slips, hard, dragging Maggie down with her. There’s a loud ripping sound as they both land on the ice with a grunt.

“What was that?” Maggie laughs as she pushes up onto her elbows.

Alex groans as she rolls onto her side, one hand reaching behind her. “Was that my pants or my muscles?”

Maggie snorts and looks over just in time to see the long rip down the back of Alex’s pants, exposing a flash of dark undergarments. “Here, give me your hand,” she urges.

Alex obliges, and Maggie grips tightly and scoots them both off the icy patch and pulls her to her feet in the snow, unable to stop laughing all the while.

“Oh, man,” Alex says, twisting to look back and assess the damage to her jeans. “I’d ask if you have an extra pair of pants I can borrow, but I have a feeling they’d be a little too short.” 

“Hey!” Maggie gasps. Alex just grins, and Maggie shoves at her shoulder, barely hiding her own smile.

“Okay, well,” Alex starts with a sigh, looking as reluctant to leave as Maggie feels to let her go. “I better get home before my ass freezes off.”

“Yeah, I’d hate to see that.”

Alex quirks an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

Maggie can’t feel her face, but she assumes she’s blushing furiously. “I, um, I’ll see you around,” she manages, and Alex’s smile softens.

“I’ll see you.”

Once Maggie’s inside the building, she hurries up the stairs to her apartment, moving quickly through the small space to the window overlooking the courtyard. She watches with a dopey, affectionate smile as Alex hobbles back to her car with one hand holding onto the back of her jeans.

——

Maggie wakes to the sound of her phone ringing.

She scrambles out of bed, squinting against the early morning sunlight as she fumbles along the wall for the phone.

“Hello?”

“Maggie? It’s Alex.”

“Oh! Hi Alex, what’s—”

“It’s Kara!” Alex exclaims. “She’s awake. Kara’s awake.”

“Oh my god. Oh my god!” She can hear Alex’s excitement through the phone and it’s contagious, filling her up until she’s jittery with it.

“The hospital just called. We’re on our way out the door, but I wanted to make sure you knew. I’m sure we’ll be there all day, please stop by if you can!”

“I...yeah, yes, of course. I’ll be there.”

“Okay, I’ve gotta run, Mom and Dad are in the car already. See you later!”

Alex hangs up before Maggie can say anything else, and she stands there with the phone in her hand for a long moment, the dial tone droning in her ears as her mind whirs. 

Kara is awake, and Maggie has a feeling that everything is about to change.

——

She takes her time showering and getting dressed, wanting to ensure that Kara’s family can spend enough time with her alone before she shows up. She thinks about Kara, how she must be feeling, how strange it must be to wake up from a coma, but she also thinks about Alex.

She knows how much Alex loves her sister, and she’ll be elated to have her back. Maggie wonders if she’ll stay in Chicago for a while to be near her or if she’ll have to head back to her life in California. A deeper, darker part of her wonders whether Alex will keep in touch with her once she goes back home.

She wonders whether the closeness she shared with Alex was only circumstantial, if Alex will forget about her now that her sister is okay again. Maggie knows this thing between them, whatever it is—or was—is real to her, but how will Alex feel? Did she really mean everything she said last night, and will she still mean it after today?

Maggie shakes her head, trying desperately to keep those thoughts at bay. She should be focused on Kara.

Once she’s ready, she heads to the hospital, her fingers drumming nervously on the edge of her seat for the entirety of the bus ride. When she makes it up to the fourth floor, she takes in a deep breath before striding down the hallway to Kara’s room.

Everyone’s there already, all gathered around Kara’s bed. Maggie clears her throat awkwardly as she peeks in through the door frame, and everyone turns to look at her at once. 

“Oh, Maggie!” Eliza exclaims, rising from her seat and pulling Maggie in for a hug. 

When Eliza releases her, Maggie gives everyone else a quick wave hello, lingering briefly to smile shyly at Alex, before she turns her attention to Kara.

“Hi, Kara,” she says, and Kara smiles that thousand-watt smile Maggie had grown used to seeing every morning.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Kara jokes, and Maggie chuckles.

“I’m sure everyone already told you what happened.” 

Kara nods, her blue eyes wide. “You saved me.”

Maggie glances down at her hands, twisting and wringing her interlocked fingers. “I’m just really glad you’re okay.”

“Me too!” Kara says lightly, and everyone laughs.

Eliza beckons for Maggie to sit, and she settles into the nearest empty seat as conversation resumes around her. She listens for a while as everyone tells Kara stories of what she missed, chiming in here and there with a few details but otherwise content to sit back and watch all these people who so clearly love each other interact.

This family has charmed her so completely, and the circumstances under which she met them were strange to say the least but she couldn’t be more grateful to have found them. She doesn’t want to imagine her life without these people in it.

She glances over at Alex, who’s nodding along as she listens to Kara talk, that adorable crinkle forming between her eyebrows, and her heart aches with how badly she wants to smooth that crinkle away with her thumb, to lean up and press a kiss to her forehead.

She looks back to Kara, her eyes tracing over the tubes and wires poking out of her white hospital gown, and something just clicks into place.

She has to tell Alex how she feels.

——

She waits a few days, wanting to give Alex time to spend with Kara and their family, and let things settle back into some semblance of normalcy.

She plans to call Alex on Sunday, but Alex beats her to it on Saturday afternoon.

“Hello?” Maggie asks, fiddling with the telephone cord between her fingers.

“Hey, it’s Alex.”

Her hand stills as her heart stutters at the sound of her voice. “Hey, what’s, what’s going on?”

“I know it’s a little last minute, but we’re having a family dinner tonight, and James and Winn are coming, and Jon too. Do you think you can make it?”

“Yeah, I...yeah, okay, I’ll see you soon.”

“Great,” Alex says, and she can hear the smile in her voice.

After they hang up, Maggie busies herself with cleaning up her apartment, unable to keep still as she scurries around, nervous energy bouncing around inside her. By the time she’s ready to leave, the entire place is spotless, and she supposes it’ll be nice to at least have a clean place to come back to if tonight doesn’t go the way she hopes.

She calls a cab, and soon she’s standing in front of the Danvers’ house again, just as nervous as she’d been the first time. It’s Winn who opens the door this time, and he slings his arm around her in a brotherly hug as soon as she steps inside.

“Hey, Maggie, how ya doin’?”

She’s a little taken aback at first, but she recovers quickly and squeezes his arm with a smile. “I’m alright, how are you?”

“Well, now that you’re here we can eat, so I’m pretty good,” he grins.

“Oh, that’s why you’re acting so happy to see me,” she teases as they make their way into the dining room.

The long table is already set, and everyone’s at their usual seats, chattering over one another as usual. Maggie says her hellos to everyone as she makes her way around the table to her spot next to Alex.

“Hey,” she says once she’s seated.

“Hey,” Alex says back softly, with a small smile meant just for her.

Heat rises in Maggie’s cheeks as she smiles back before dropping her gaze to her plate.

Dinner goes just the same as it has every other time Maggie’s been here, and she finds herself surprised at how little has changed. She doesn’t know why she’d assumed this family wouldn’t want her around anymore, but she’s relieved that they’ve proven her wrong. She knows things will probably be different once Kara is out of the hospital, but Maggie has a feeling they’ll have no problem pulling up an extra chair.

She allows herself to relax more fully into her seat, and soon she’s smiling and laughing and joining in much more readily to the conversation. She exchanges a few more private glances with Alex, and the fluttering feeling inside her grows stronger and stronger every time. 

By the end of the evening, she’s surprised her entire body isn’t vibrating with the force of it.

When it’s time for everyone to go, Maggie grabs her coat and bends down to lace up her boots with trembling fingers. She hears a jingling sound above her and looks up to find Alex grinning down at her, the car keys dangling from one finger. “I’ll drive you?”

For a split second, Maggie wants to decline the offer, wants to call herself a cab and shut herself up in her apartment and try to forget about Alex Danvers. To be alone, like she’s always been. It’s safer that way.

But Alex is still smiling that beautiful smile, just a hint of mischief glimmering in her hazel eyes, and Maggie knows she’ll never forgive herself if she doesn’t take this chance. So she pushes herself to her feet, zips up her coat, and says, “Lead the way.”

She’s quiet for most of the drive, staring down at her lap and playing with a loose thread at the end of her sweater sleeve while she listens to Alex talk. When they get to her building, Alex unbuckles her seatbelt and gets out of the car before jogging around to open Maggie’s door for her. She offers her hand, and Maggie wishes she could touch her skin without her thick, woolen gloves.

Alex walks her to her door, carefully maneuvering around the slick patches of ice on the pavement, and they both giggle quietly at the recent memory. When they’re finally in front of the door, they stand facing each other, the clouds of their breath mingling in the air between them.

“Alex, I—”

“Maggie, I—”

They both pause, laughing.

“Can I, uh, can I go first?” Maggie asks.

Alex nods. “Yeah, of course.”

Maggie takes in a deep breath, tugging nervously on her hat. “So, um...I know the way we met was...it was weird. Not the best circumstances,” she adds with a weak chuckle. “But I can’t help but feel lucky to have found you. And I just...when I saw Kara the other day in the hospital, it just got me thinking that, that life is too short, you know?”

Alex nods, encouraging her to continue.

“And I, um...I just think…” She takes another breath, exhaling slowly. “We have to take chances. We have to...to be who we are, and tell the people we love that we love them while we can. And I...I think I’m falling in love with you, Alex Danvers.”

The words hang in the air between them, and before Maggie can say anything else, she feels the soft material of Alex’s gloves on either side of her face, and the soft, gentle press of Alex’s lips against her own.

Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but she reacts quickly, kissing her back with all the pent-up longing of the past couple weeks, and of a lifetime spent alone and unloved. She feels sparks of electricity down her spine as Alex’s mouth opens against her, and soon they’re gripping tightly at each other’s coats, the icy chill in the air no match for the warmth blooming between their bodies.

Eventually, Alex pulls back, panting against her lips, and Maggie can only stand there speechless as she reaches up and adjusts her hat before dragging her fingers through Maggie’s hair. “I think I’m falling in love with you, too,” she whispers, and Maggie feels even more unsteady than she had slipping across the ice on New Year’s Eve.

“Really?” she asks, breathless with awe and disbelief.

“Really,” Alex says, and then she’s kissing her again, and Maggie feels like she’s flying.

Maggie never thought she’d be grateful for someone almost getting hit by a train, but the insanity of the past two weeks has brought her more happiness than she’s known in her entire life. She may have saved Kara’s life that day, but she ended up saving her own life, too.

——

Twelve years later, Kara Danvers stands under a white tent on the beach in National City, California, her powder blue dress rippling in the ocean breeze.

“When Alex and Maggie first met, it was because of me,” she says into the microphone she’s holding. “You’re welcome, Alex,” she adds with a grin as laughter and applause rise up from the rows of tables before her. “You all know the story by now, but Maggie saved my life. And for some crazy reason, my mom thought the best way to thank her was inviting her to spend Christmas with our family. And for some even crazier reason, Maggie said yes.”

Everyone chuckles again, and Maggie presses even closer against Alex’s side, squeezing her hand under the table.

“And ever since that fateful day,” Kara continues, “Maggie has become a part of our family. Today, I am so happy to be able to officially, and legally, welcome her into our family for good. Maggie, Alex, I don’t think I’ve ever met two people more perfect for each other than the two of you.” She raises her glass in the air, prompting everyone else to do the same. “To the brides!”

Applause rings out once more, and Kara smiles fondly as she watches her sister and her wife. She’ll never forget the day Alex told her that she planned on asking Maggie to marry her, right after it became legal in California. They’d already been together for years by then, but Alex was still jittery with nerves.

Kara had asked her when she fell in love with Maggie, when she knew she was the one she wanted to spend forever with, and Alex had just smiled softly and said, “It was while you were sleeping.”


End file.
